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UNC Baseball: Austin Love named Atlantic All-Region First Team

By Andrew Reynolds

CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 08: Baseballs during a game between Notre Dame and North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium on March 08, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 08: Baseballs during a game between Notre Dame and North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium on March 08, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
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Pitcher Austin Love earned Atlantic All-Region First Team from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) as one of four pitchers in the region as announced on Saturday.

Well deserved to say the least as Love anchored a solid pitching staff and turned into a top weekend starter for the Tar Heels. With an overall record of 10-4 and an ERA of 3.71, Love pitched 102.0 innings, struck out 129 batters and held opponents to a .224 batting average.

The 129 K’s ranked second in the ACC, the .224 opponent BA ranked eighth overall, and Love led the ACC in innings pitched this season.

Love is the eighth UNC pitcher that earned First Team All-ACC selection with this season as he joined elite Tar Heel company like Andrew Miller, Matt Harvey and Kent Emanuel. The 129 strikeouts this season are second-most in North Carolina baseball history behind Miller who recorded 133 K’s in 2006.

As the season neared the final stretch in mid-April to late-May, Love turned in five starts with six or more innings pitched out of six overall. In these six starts—from April 17 to May 20— Love posted a 4-2 record with 40.2 innings pitched, allowed 30 hits, 10 earned runs, 11 walks and punched out 56 batters.

Easily his two most dominant starts came in the aforementioned late stretch with a sensational performance on May 14 against Louisville. With 9.0 innings pitched where he surrendered six hits, one run and two walks, Love struck out nine and got the first win in a weekend series sweep over an ACC rival. In the proceeding start, Love tossed another complete game where he allowed two runs on eight hits with 15 K’s, a career-high, as he picked up the win against Georgia Tech.

With this prestigious award, Love was automatically nominated for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors as are all ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team selections. The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA All-American teams in Division I are to be announced on Saturday, June 19.

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